Arnulf of Carinthia

Arnulf of Carinthia (850-8 December 899) was the King of East Francia from 887 to 899 (succeeding Charles the Fat and preceding Louis the Child), King of Lotharingia from 887 to 894 (succeeding Charles the Fat and preceding Zwentibold of Lotharingia), and King of Italy from 894 to 899 and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 896 to 899 (succeeding Lambert II of Spoleto and preceding Louis the Blind).

Biography
Arnulf of Carinthia was born in 850, the son of Carloman II of Bavaria. He was a Christian German of the House of Karling, and in 876 he was made Duke of Carinthia. In 879, his father was incapacitated by a stroke, so Ludwig III of East Francia inherited Bavaria, Charles the Fat gained Italy, and Arnulf was given Carinthia. In 882, Arnulf supported Engelschalk II of Pannonia's rebellion against Aribo of Austria in the Wilhelminer War and also invaded Great Moravia, and it was not until 885 when peace was restored, by which time High Chief Svatopluk of Moravia was a vassal of Emperor Charles. In 887 Arnulf overthrew his uncle after chances of succeeding him were destroyed by the Wilhelminer War, and he became King of East Francia, reigning until his death. He also became King of Lotharingia by deposing his uncle, and in 894 he defeated Lambert II of Spoleto to become king of Italy. That same year, he conquered western Hungary from Great Moravia, and he also had designs on Italy.

While Guy III of Spoleto and Berengar of Friuli fought over the Iron Crown of Lombardy, Arnulf invaded Italy. In 891 he supported Berengar and in 894 he led an army over the Alps to fight Guy's forces. In January Bergamo fell and he had Count Ambrose of Bergamo, Guy's representative in the city, hung from a tree by the city's gate. He also conquered Milan and Pavia, and he was crowned king of Italy in Pavia. By autumn, Guy died, and Arnulf's army began to suffer from fever. When he marched northwards through the Alps, King Rudolph of Transjurane Burgundy interrupted them, so he sent his son Zwentibold to ravage Burgundy. Lambert II of Spoleto and his mother Ageltrude entered Rome to confirm Lambert's appointment as king of Italy, but Pope Formosus still desired to crown Arnulf, and was jailed in the Castel Sant'Angelo.

In September 895, Arnulf began a new campaign into Italy when an envoy beseeched his help, so he took Pavia and allied with Tuscany. Count Maginulf of Milan and Count Walfred of Pavia joined him, and Adalbert II of Tuscany abandoned Lambert. On 21 February 896 he conquered Rome and freed the Pope, and on 22 February 896 he was crowned as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Formosus. He exiled senators Constantine and Stephen, who supported Ageltrude, and the people of Rome swore never to let Lambert or Ageltrude back into the city. Arnulf marched on Spoleto to fight the duo, but he suffered a stroke and was forced to return to Bavaria.

When Pope Formosus died in April, Lambert regained power. Lambert and Berengar killed any officials that Arnulf put in power, and the sub-king of Italy, Arnulf's son Ratold of Italy, fled to Bavaria. Arnulf had power whenever he was in Italy, but whenever he was not in Italy, Lambert was in control. On 8 December 899 he died at Ratisbon (Regensbur, Germany). His realms were partitioned after his death.